Chapter 276

The passageway narrowed as he went farther into the ship. The overhead lights were dim, leaving stretches of shadow between them. Doors lined one side, some marked with faded labels, others without any markings at all.

He tried the first handle. It was locked.

The second opened into a small storage room filled with crates. The third revealed a narrow compartment with shelves and cleaning supplies.

There was no Kylie.

He kept walking.

The ship’s movement was more noticeable here. The floor shifted subtly beneath his feet, and the metal walls trembled with the vibration of the engine.

Christian glanced at his watch.

Two minutes had passed. He opened another door. It was empty. And so was another.

His patience began to fray.

He knew he couldn’t afford to panic. He knew the ship was large enough that searching every room would take time, and that every unnecessary movement increased the likelihood of being discovered.

But knowing something and being able to accept it were two very different things.

Kylie was somewhere in this vessel.

She had been here for hours.

He had been on the ship for less than ten minutes, and already every second felt unbearable.

He turned down another corridor.

"Hey."

Christian stopped.

A man stood at the far end, holding a metal container against his hip.

He was younger than Noah’s uncle, perhaps in his late twenties or early thirties. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Christian’s face, then at the corridor behind him.

"Where are you going?"

Christian glanced at the door beside him. Then back at the man. "Bathroom."

The man looked at the door. "That’s a storage room."

Christian stared at him.

For one brief second, neither spoke.

Then Christian sighed.

"Wonderful. I’ve spent the last twenty minutes being told where to go by men who apparently expect me to memorise the architecture of a ship I’ve never seen before."

The man frowned. "What?"

"I was told to find the lower washroom. I took a wrong turn." Christian gestured vaguely behind him. "Unless you’re telling me your employer has decided that new people aren’t allowed to use the toilet."

The man stared at him.

Christian gave a humourless laugh.

"Because if that’s the case, I’d appreciate being informed before I start working here permanently."

The man’s expression shifted.

He looked irritated now, rather than suspicious. "Go back the way you came. Second passage on the left."

"Thank you."

Christian started to turn away.

"And don’t go wandering around," the man called after him.

Christian glanced over his shoulder. "Then put up signs."

He continued walking before the man could answer. His heart was pounding so hard that he could feel it in his throat.

He did not slow down until he reached the next corner.

Then he stopped, pressed his palm against the wall, and closed his eyes for a single second. He could not risk this, and put Kylie in danger.

The man might have accepted his excuse, but he had not been entirely convinced. Christian had seen it in the way he watched him, the slight narrowing of his eyes before the irritation took over.

One more question, one wrong answer, and the entire operation could have fallen apart.

Christian pushed away from the wall.

He had three minutes left.

He continued down the corridor, searching for anything that might tell him where the ship’s passengers were being kept. He passed a locked door, then another. Near the end of the passage, he noticed a small camera mounted above a junction.

He looked away from it immediately.

There were cameras here.

That meant someone was watching. He couldn’t afford to keep opening doors at random.

He needed to find a place where he could search without being seen, somewhere the cameras couldn’t cover, somewhere he could move without drawing attention.

He turned another corner, and stopped.

A woman was standing at the far end of the corridor. For a second, his mind refused to understand what he was seeing.

She had just stepped out of a narrow door on the right. One hand rested against the frame, and her head turned slowly from one side to the other as she examined the passageway.

She was wearing the same clothes he had last seen her in.

Her hair was slightly dishevelled, and her shoulders were tense. She was alive.

Kylie.

Christian’s heart seemed to explode inside his chest. He forgot the cameras. He forgot the men scattered throughout the ship.

He forgot the plan, the weapons, the risk, and every careful instruction he had received before boarding.

All he could see was Kylie standing at the end of the corridor, looking around as if she expected someone to appear at any moment.

His Blue.

His girl.

The woman who had been missing for hours while he stood in a room full of people who couldn’t tell him whether she was alive.

She was here.

Christian moved before he could think.

He crossed the corridor in several quick strides, his shoes barely making a sound against the floor.

Kylie turned at the last second.

Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out before he reached her.

Christian caught her around the waist, lifted her slightly, and spun her toward the wall.

Her back met the metal surface with a muted thud.

Kylie reacted instantly.

She twisted, driving her elbow backward and trying to wrench herself out of his grip.

"Get off me!" Her hand struck his shoulder, as she hissed.

She tried to bring her knee up between them.

Christian caught her wrist before she could hit him again. Then he pulled her against his chest.

"Shuu, Blue." His voice broke into a whisper against her neck. "It’s me."

Kylie froze.

For one suspended second, the only sound between them was the distant vibration of the engine.

Christian felt the moment she recognised him.

Her whole body went rigid. Then her knees began to tremble. "Christian?"

The name was barely audible.

He tightened his arms around her. "I’m here."

She pulled back just enough to see his face.

Her eyes moved over him rapidly, as though she needed to confirm that every part of him was real. His face. His hair. His shoulders. The hands holding her.

He watched the disbelief give way to something so raw that it hurt to look at.

Then Kylie grabbed the front of his jacket.

"Get in here."